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On This Day
6 March: Zoltán Kodály Died
Zoltán Kodály died on 6 March 1967 at the age of 84 in Budapest. At the time of his death he was universally recognised as a composer, pioneering ethno-musicologist, ground-breaking educator, and music critic. The “Kodály Method,” created by colleagues,
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On This Day
5 March: Daniil Trifonov Was Born
Possessing jaw-dropping technique and outer-worldly interpretive skills, pianist Daniil Trifonov has been called the “most astounding pianist of our age.” Martha Argerich famously said, “what he does with his hands is technically incredible. It’s also his touch; he has tenderness
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The Effect of Sounds
We found some Sound Effects albums the other day and were exploring the sounds that they collected. Under Bells, we found bells from all continents and bells of all sizes, from small meditation bowls to bike bells to doorbells to
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On This Day
4 March: Bernard Haitink Was Born
Born in Amsterdam on 4 March 1929, conductor Bernard Haitink imparted an uncommon strength of character and conviction to the players. Undemonstrative in performance, his restrained demeanour was the result of his intensive study of the scores even before rehearsal.
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Giovanni Sollima: An Artist of the Twenty-First Century
The Internationally renowned cellist Giovanni Sollima flouts categorization. His mesmerizing personality and his genre-defying music sets him apart. A lean figure with salt and pepper hair, he appears on stage alone, dressed in black, and he beguiles us with his
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Music for Life Skills
When I was studying music at school in the UK in the 1980s (I took music at O- and A-Level, in addition to studying the piano privately), I was often the butt of jokes that I had “taken the easy
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Most Heartbreaking Lines of Beethoven’s Heiligenstadt Testament
When he was thirty-one years old, Ludwig van Beethoven cracked. In a touristy town just outside of Vienna, he sat down and wrote arguably the most famous letter in classical music history. It was a cry from the depths of
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On This Day
27 February: Alexander Borodin Died
Alexander Borodin (1833-1887) was a scientist and medical doctor who considered music his favourite hobby. Regardless, his compositions place him in the front rank of Russian composers, as his music had a strong lyric vein that reflects the character of
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